Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-09-29

higher position fell to the lot of Tevis.
Their weapons were placed in their
waiting hands and the word was
about to be given.
AS Tevis' second walked away he
turned toward his principal and placed
his finger on his own baeast, thus in
dicating where he should aim.
Lippincott, waiting with a steady
nerve, observed the gesture and took
mental note of it. At last the word
was given. Both guns exploded as
one. Tevis fell, shot through the
heart, and as his form sank to the
ground lock of hair from Lippin-
colts head just above the ear, flut-
tered to the sward, which was already
being dyed with the blood of the un-
fortunate politician. The ball had
made a frightful wound which looked,
as witness described it, "as
though bored with an auger," and the
blood Lowed in streams from Tevis'
breast. Lippencott had a narrow es-
cape and would have undoubtedly
been killed if the fallen man
had made allowance for the slope of
the ground and taken lower aim.
AS it was Tevis' ball passed directly
over Lippencott's left shoulder, graz
ing his face and cutting away a lock
of hair.
Upon the result of the duel being
known the survivor and his friends
took their departure and the fallen
man was temporarily buried under
the shade of the lonely trees. among
which, in the gathering twilight the
wind sang his own requiem. On the
following day the body was exhumed,
placed in coffin and packed OH
horseback to Downieville, where it
was laid away in the hillside cemetery.
The funeral was large and demon stra-
tive, the members eff the Know-Noth-
ing party making of it sort of death
rite over one of their departed mem
bers.
Lippincott fled to Nevada, and when
he afterward returned to the scene OF
the tragedy, found himself looked at
askance by old friends, who extended
their hands rather cringingly in re-
sponse to his salutation Not that he
was not considered an honorable man,
or had fought an unfair fight, but the
better class of citizens considered Te-
Wis another victim of the bloodthirsty
code which already had had so many
victims, and which they felt should be
suppressed. After pleting his term
in the State Senate, Lippincott re-
turned to his Illinois home in time to
close the eyes of his reverend father,
whose heart, it was said, was broken
by the part taken by the son in the
Downieville tragedy.
At the outbreak of the war Lippin-
colt went to the front with the Union
forces, and after distinguishing him
self repeatedly on the field of battle
by his reckless daring, retired as a
Brigadier- General. He was after
ward elected Auditor of Illinois by the
Republicans. He was an intimate
friend and strong supporter of the la
mented David G. Broderick, who con-
sidered him his ablest partisan.
His career in California was distin-
guished and honorable, and his en-
tanglement in the fatal duel was due
only to the spirit OF the day.
Not long before his death General
Lippincott referred to the duel as one
of the most horrible things in his life,
adding: "But there was nothing to do
in those days but to accept challenge
If 1t was sent to you, or to step out of
the country by the shortest route and
the most expeditions means"
Miss Pellet, who might be consid-
cred the unwilling cause OF the duel,
proved true friend to Lippincott DUR
ing his partial ostracism after the
fight and exerted all her influence to
reconcile public opinion to him. She
afterward went to Oregon and finally
returned East, where she was heard
of few years ago as being at a
woman-suffrage convention in SYRIA
cuse, N. Y, engaged in her favorite
mission of temperance.-[S. F.
Chronicle.